Drive device for a flexible strip provided with marginal perforations

ABSTRACT

A device for driving a flexible strip provided with two rows of regularly spaced lateral perforations. This device includes a first slider to which is imparted a first reciprocating movement back and forth parallel to the direction of said strip, a second slider which moves with the first slider as far as the first reciprocating movement is concerned, but to which is also imparted a second reciprocating movement with respect to the first slider, a hinging plate mounted to pivot on the first slider and carrying claws each of which may cooperate with a perforation in one of the said lateral rows, and means enabling the said hinging plate to be moved towards or away from the second slider.

1111 3,825,161 July 23, 1974 United States Patent [191 Delorme Primary Examiner--Lloyd L. King Assistant Examiner-Gene A. Church Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Baldwin, Wight & Brown Raymond Louis Delorme, Bagnolet, France Assignee: Societe Honeywell Bull (Societe [57] ABSTRACT A device for driving a flexible strip provided with two rows of regularly spaced lateral perforations. This de- Anonyme), Paris, France May 29, 1973 [22] Filed:

vice includes a first slider to which is imparted a first parallel to the rection of said strip, a second slider which moves with the first slider as far as the first reciprocating reciprocating movement back and forth [21] Appl. No.: 364,226

movement is concerned, but to which is also imparted a second reciprocating movement with respect to the first slider, a hinging plate mounted to pivot on the first slider and carrying claws each of which may co- 22 5&6 H1 6 2 2MB U "U H .l 6 2 O0 2 m6 717 6 6 We 2 m2 2 "2 mTm m 6 MM .I.. .f. C d td UhF 1]] 2 00 555 i.l:l.

References Cited operate with a perforation in one of the said lateral UNITED STATES PATENTS rows, and means enabling the said hinging plate to be moved towards or away from the second slider.

11 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTED LZ 3 4 32%; 1. 1

saw u or 4 The present invention relates to a drive device for a flexible strip provided with two rows of regularly spaced lateral perforations, for example of the cinematographic film type. This device may be applied particularly, but not exclusively, to machines for processing integrated circuits, in which, with a view to subsequent handling and use, the latter are fastened to a flexible strip along which they are distributed at regular intervals.

Drive devices for such flexible strips are already known. These known devices all include sprockets with pin-teeth which engage in the said perforations, and for this very reason they have a certain number of drawbacks. In fact, the pin-teeth enter all the perforations as the strip moves along and contact and may damage the walls of the perforations, which consequently are no longer able to be used for precisely locating certain parts of the strip opposite tools on the said machines. Furthermore, these pin-teeth are cut as half-teeth, that is to say their width is approximately equal to half that of the perforations, which prevents the said devices from locating the strip with sufficient accuracy.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially reduce these drawbacks.

According to the invention, a drive device for a flexible strip provided with two rows of regularly spaced lateral perforations includes a first slider to which is imparted a first reciprocating movement back and forth parallel to the direction of the said strip, a second slider, which moves with the first as far as the first reciprocating movement is concerned, but to which is also imparted a second reciprocating movement with respect to the said first slider, the said second reciprocating movement also being parallel to the direction of the said strip, a hinging plate mounted to pivot on the first slider and carrying claws each of which may cooperate with a perforation in one of the said lateral rows, and means enabling the said hinging plate to be moved away from or towards the second slider, the said reciprocating movements and the said means combining to cause the said claws to project during the forward movement of the first slider and to retract during the return of the latter.

Preferably, the travel back and forth of the first slider is chosen to be substantially equal to a multiple of the pitch of the perforations. Thus, one perforation in every n (with n z 2) cooperates with one of the said claws. The result is that the other perforations in the rows do not come into contact with the claws and are therefore not damaged. They may therefore subsequently be used for the exact location of the strip. Furthermore, the said claws enter the perforations at right angles to the strip, while the pin-teeth enter them tangentially. Consequently, the shape of the said claws may be more closely matched to the said perforations than that of the pin-teeth and the result is that even the perforations which cooperate with the claws are hardly damaged. Moreover, with' the strip moving forward in steps or jerks, it can be seen that by using the device according to the invention, it is possible to locate the said strip precisely in front of a working station while stopped between two steps and to perform an operation on a semi-conductor device on the said strip whilst at this station.

Advantageously, the first and second reciprocating movements of the said slides are produced by a common eccentric which passes through them via openings, the edges of which cooperate with the said eccentric. For this purpose, the opening in the first slider is approximately straight-sided and transverse to the direction of forward movement of the strip, while the opening in the second slider is shaped at least approximately like a flattened S, which is also transverse to the said direction.

Preferably, the means which enable the plate to be moved towards and away from the second slider com prise sloping surfaces which are each integral with these members and cooperate with one another when the first and second sliders slide relative to one another. It is advantageous for the said hinging plate to be resiliently urged towards the said second slider by resilient means supported on the first slider.

In a preferred embodiment, a guide for the strip is arranged above the hinging plate and the base of this guide is pierced by openings to enable the driving claws integral with the said hinging plate to pass through.

The eccentric driving the two sliders may be formed by a peg or the like secured to a disc which is driven in rotation by an electric motor. The edge of this disc may have a cam profile which enables a micro-switch to be actuated to determine the position of the device and additionally to control the electrical supply to certain members or tools associated with the working station at which a particular part of the strip is situated at this time.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a-view from above of one embodiment of device according to the invention with the driven claws in their projecting position at the beginning of travel,

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section along line IIII of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the device according to the invention,

FIG. 4 shows the device according to the invention at the end of its travel with the drive claws in the projecting position.

FIG. 5 is a view from the above corresponding to FIG. 4, with the guide for the flexible strip removed,

FIG. 6 shows the device according to the invention at the end of its travel with the drive claws in the retracted position.

FIG. 7 is a view from above corresponding to FIG. 6 with the guide for the flexible strip removed, and

FIG. 8 illustrates -the operation of the device according to the invention.

The drive device shown in the drawings comprises a casing 1 in which is installed an electric motor (not shown) of which the shaft 2 projects from this casing. To the casing 1 is fixed a baseplate 3, which is at right angles to the shaft 2 and through which the latter passes by means of a hole 4. A bearing 5 for the shaft 2 is arranged in a seating 6 in the base-plate 3, the latter also incorporating a seating 7 for a micro-switch 8. A disc 9 is keyed to the end of the shaft 2 and has an eccentric peg l0 fixed to it, on which are mounted two rollers 11 and 12 lying one above the other. The edge 13 of the disc 9 has a cam profile which cooperates with the sensitive contact 14 of the micro-switch 8.

To the baseplate 3 is secured a supporting plate 15 which is provided with an opening 16 for accommodating the disc 9, the peg and, the micro-switch 8. The supporting plate forms a slide-way for a first sliding plate 17 which incorporates at one end an oblong opening 18 which receives the roller 11. The oblong opening 18 is at right angles to the direction of forward movement selected for the flexible strip and is equal in breadth, except for a certain amount of clearance, to the diameter of the said roller 11. However, in the central portion of the oblong opening 18, its edges have opposing indentations l9 and 20 which enlarge the said opening and into which the roller 11 may fit.

The sliding plate l7.is itself formed so that it may serve as a guide for a second sliding plate 21, it being possible for the sliding plates 17 and 21 to slide parallel to the direction of forward movement selected for the flexible strip.

At one end, the sliding plate 21 incorporates a generally oblong opening 22 into which the roller 12 fits. The opening 22 is actually in the form of a flattened S the general direction of which is at right angles to the direction of forward movement of the flexible strip and its breadth is equal, except for a certain amount of clearance, to the diameter of the said roller 12. A sloping ramp 23 is provided at the other end of the sliding plate 21.

At the edges, the sliding plate 17 has projections 24 which serve as guides for the sliding motion. Furthermore, the sliding plate 17 is equipped with lugs 40, in which are formed aligned cut-outs 25 which define a pivot axis for a hinging plate 26. This plate incorporates aligned knife-edges 27 which engage in the said cutouts 25. The pivot axis defined by cut-outs 25 is at right angles to the direction of forward movement of the flexible strip.

The hinging plate 26 is cut away so that it is formed by two side-pieces 28, parallel to the direction in which the plates 17 and 21 slide and which are joined, at the opposite end from the knife-edges 27, by a cross-piece 29. The sliding plate 21 is arranged between the sliding plate 17 and the hinging plate 26. The face of the crosspiece 29 which is adjacent to the sliding plate 21 incorporates a sloping ramp 30 which is complementary to the ramp 23 and is capable of cooperating therewith, in order to raise or lower the hinging plate 26. The projections 24 have cut-away portions 31 intended to accommodate the side-pieces 28 of the hinging plate.

The ends of the side-pieces 28 opposite to the knifeedges 27 have fingers or claws 32 which are substantially perpendicular to the plane of the hinging plate 26. A tension spring 33, which passes through the sliding plate 21 and is supported on the sliding plate 17, urges the hinging plate 26 towards the sliding plate 21.

The sliding plate 21 may slide with respect to the sliding plate 17 with sufficient travel to enable either one or other of the transverse sections of the opening 22 to be brought vertically above the opening 18. When one of the said sections is coincident with the opening 18, (see FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5) the claws 32 are projecting due to the cooperation between the ramps 23 and 30; whilst when the other section of the flattened S is coincident with the opening 18 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) the claws 32 are retracted.

The supporting plate 15 serves as a housing for the sliding plates 17 and 21 and for the hinging plate 26 and may be closed off by a cover 34 which is arranged to serve as a guide for the flexible strip (not shown). This cover 34 incorporates oblong openings 35 which are parallel to the direction of forward movement of the strip and permit the passage of the claws 32, which are thus able to engage in the perforations in the said strip, the latter being held between the cover 34 and a plate (not shown) fixed thereto.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the position in which the claws 32 are projecting and are at the beginning of their working travel. The peg 10 is situated almost at the centre of openings 18 and 22 and the lower section (with respect to FIGS. 1 and 5) of opening 22 is in line with opening 18. The sliding plate 21 is then in its position furthest to the right with respect to the sliding plate 17, and the claws 32 are projecting through the openings 35. They may thus engage in suitable perforations in a flexible strip held flat against the cover 34. If a circular clockwise motion (as shown by the arrows) is then imparted to the peg 10 by the motor contained in the casing 1, the sliding plates 17 and 21 are drawn towards the left of FIG. 2, while the relative position of the sliding plates is not altered for almost half a revolution (angle ,8 in FIG. 8) since the lower section of opening 22 remains opposite opening 18 for this time. After this movement of the peg 10 the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is reached. Thus, during this movement, the claws 32 have been able to draw the strip towards the left, as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 4, for a distance slightly less than twice the distance between the centres of shaft 2 and peg 10 (due to indentations 19 and 20).

If, from the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the peg 10 continues to rotate clockwise, it causes the upper section of the opening 22 (with respect to FIGS. 1, 5 and 7) to come into line with opening 18. The sliding plate 21 is then in its position farthest to the left with respect to sliding plate 17 and the claws 32 are retracted, since the ramp 30 has then slid downwards on the ramp 26 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). When the peg 10 continues on its circular path, the sliding plates 17 and 21 are urged towards the right of FIG. 7 while the relative position of the sliding plates is not altered for part of this new half-revolution. The position of FIG. 2 is then again reached, but the claws 32 are retracted. Thus, during a portion of this new part-revolution, the claws 32 have been able to return in the retracted position to their original location. If the peg 10 continues on its way, it will again bring the lower section of opening 22 into line with opening 18 and the claws 32 will again project. The state of affairs in FIGS. 1 and 2 will then be re-established.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the operation of the device according to the invention which divides the angular travel of peg 10 into four parts. It also enables the function of the indentations 19 and 20 to be demonstrated. During the portions of angular travel through angle ,8 the slider 17 is moving, whereas during the portions of angular travel through angle a (defined by the indentations l9 and 20) the slider 17 is immobile, with the slider 21 sliding with respect to slider 17 and the claws 32 either lifting or retracting. It can thus be seen that the claws 32 move in a rectangular cycle.

The device according to the invention is, of course, reversible. To achieve this it is sufficient to reverse the direction of rotation of the drive motor for the eccentric 10.

I claim: 7 i V l. A drive device for a flexible strip provided with two rows of regularly spaced lateral perforations, said device comprising a first slider to which is imparted a first reciprocating movement back and forth parallel to the direction of the said strip, a second slider which moves with the first as far as the first reciprocating movement is concerned, but to which is also imparted a second reciprocating movement with respect to the said first slider, the said second reciprocating movement also being parallel to the direction of the said strip, a hinging plate which is mounted to pivot on the first slider and which carries claws each of which may cooperate with a perforation in one of the said lateral rows, and means enabling the said hinging plate to be moved towards or away from the second slider, the said reciprocating movements and the said means combining to raise the said claws during the forward movement of the first slider and to retract them during the return thereof.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the travel back and forth of the first slider is chosen to be equal to a multiple of the pitch of the perforations.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second reciprocating movements of the said sliders are produced by a common eccentric which is located in them via openings the edges of which cooperate with the said eccentric.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the opening in the first slider is at least approximately rectilinear and transverse to the direction of forward movement of the strip, whilst the opening in the second slider is at least approximately in the form of a flattened S, also transverse to the said direction.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the opening in the first slider is enlarged in a symmetrical fashion in the vicinity of its centre.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the means which enables the hinging plate to be moved towards or away from the second slider comprise sloping surfaces integral with each of these members which cooperate with one another while the first and second slider 6 are sliding relative to one another. I v

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the hinging plate is resiliently urged towards the said second slider by resilient means supported on the first slider.

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein a guide for the strip is arranged above the hinging plate, the base of this guide being provided with openings for receiving the driving claws integral with the said hinging plate.

1 1. A device for driving a flexible strip H two rows of regularly spaced lateral perforations, said device comprising: a first slider reciprocating, in a direction parallel to said strip between a first position and a second position; a second slider sliding on said first slider, in a direction parallel to said strip, between a third position and a fourth position in relation to said 1 first slider; a hinging plate mounted to pivot on said first slider, said hinging plate being provided with claws each adapted to engage in a perforation in one of said lateral rows; supporting means integral to said second slider, said means having a form shaped to keep said hinging plate close to said second slider when said second slider is in its third position, and away from said second slider when the latter is in its fourth position for causing said claws to engage in said perforations of the strip; and drive means connected to said first and second sliders for moving said second slider towards its third position as soon as said first slider reaches its second position, and towards its fourth position as soon as said first slider reaches its first position, whereby said claws are engaged in the perforations of the strip during the forward movement of the first slider from its first position to its second position and retracted during the VUYNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent NO. 1 3,825,161 Da d July 23, 1974 Inventofls) Raymond Louis Delorme It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the patent heading, ihsert:

"Priority 7 April 13, 1973 France 73 13 504" Signed and s e'ale'd this 3rd day of Decemher E974.

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY M. GIBSON JR. I C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner-of Patents 1 USCOMM-DC GONG-P59 u.s4 GOVERNMENT nmmus OFFICE I969 oss6-::u.

FORM PO-1050 (10-69) 

1. A drive device for a flexible strip provided with two rows of regularly spaced lateral perforations, said device comprising a first slider to which is imparted a first reciprocating movement back and forth parallel to the direction of the said strip, a second slider which moves with the first as far as the first reciprocating movement is concerned, but to which is also imparted a second reciprocating movement with respect to the said first slider, the said second reciprocating movement also being parallel to the direction of the said strip, a hinging plate which is mounted to pivot on the first slider and which carries claws each of which may cooperate with a perforation in one of the said lateral rows, and means enabling the said hinging plate to be moved towards or away from the second slider, the said reciprocating movements and the said means combining to raise the said claws during the forward movement of the first slider and to retract them during the return thereof.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the travel back and forth of the first slider is choseN to be equal to a multiple of the pitch of the perforations.
 3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second reciprocating movements of the said sliders are produced by a common eccentric which is located in them via openings the edges of which cooperate with the said eccentric.
 4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the opening in the first slider is at least approximately rectilinear and transverse to the direction of forward movement of the strip, whilst the opening in the second slider is at least approximately in the form of a flattened S, also transverse to the said direction.
 5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the opening in the first slider is enlarged in a symmetrical fashion in the vicinity of its centre.
 6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the means which enables the hinging plate to be moved towards or away from the second slider comprise sloping surfaces integral with each of these members which cooperate with one another while the first and second slider are sliding relative to one another.
 7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the hinging plate is resiliently urged towards the said second slider by resilient means supported on the first slider.
 8. A device according to claim 1, wherein a guide for the strip is arranged above the hinging plate, the base of this guide being provided with openings for receiving the driving claws integral with the said hinging plate.
 9. A device according to claim 3, wherein the eccentric is formed by a peg secured to a disc which is driven in rotation by an electric motor.
 10. A device according to claim 9, wherein the edge of the disc has a cam profile enabling a micro-switch to be actuated.
 11. A device for driving a flexible strip provided with two rows of regularly spaced lateral perforations, said device comprising: a first slider reciprocating, in a direction parallel to said strip between a first position and a second position; a second slider sliding on said first slider, in a direction parallel to said strip, between a third position and a fourth position in relation to said first slider; a hinging plate mounted to pivot on said first slider, said hinging plate being provided with claws each adapted to engage in a perforation in one of said lateral rows; supporting means integral to said second slider, said means having a form shaped to keep said hinging plate close to said second slider when said second slider is in its third position, and away from said second slider when the latter is in its fourth position for causing said claws to engage in said perforations of the strip; and drive means connected to said first and second sliders for moving said second slider towards its third position as soon as said first slider reaches its second position, and towards its fourth position as soon as said first slider reaches its first position, whereby said claws are engaged in the perforations of the strip during the forward movement of the first slider from its first position to its second position and retracted during the return of said first slider. 